SOUTH Africa’s ruling party defeated an opposition motion to have a parliamentary panel investigate if President Cyril Ramaphosa should be held accountable for allegedly concealing a burglary at his game farm.
The motion proposed by the Democratic Alliance and supported by the Economic Freedom Fighters was voted down by the African National Congress with backing from some smaller parties.
The outcome doesn’t affect a three-member independent panel appointed by Parliament Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula earlier this month that will recommend whether or not to initiate a process to impeach Ramaphosa over the allegations.
Ramaphosa has refused to answer questions by opposition lawmakers about the incident. The theft at his farm in the northern Limpopo province in February 2020 was revealed in June by the former head of the State Security Agency, Arthur Fraser, who filed charges against the president for allegedly concealing the crime. Fraser claimed that $4 million was stolen.
BLOOMBERG
